FirstEnergy Snowstorm Outage Update

October 31, 2011 - 9 p.m. update.

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Oct 31, 2011, 10:05 ET

AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 470,000 FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland have been restored after losing power due to the Saturday, October 29 snowstorm. Overall, 782,000 customers were affected by the storm.

Crews continue working to restore service to the 312,000 customers who remain without power.

The remaining FirstEnergy outage totals by utility include:

Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) – The majority of the remaining 234,000 customers should be restored by late Thursday, with full restoration by Friday
Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed) – The majority of the remaining 68,000 customers should be restored by midnight Friday.
Potomac Edison – Full restoration of the remaining 10,000 customers by midnight Wednesday.

Many of the areas that remain without power experienced severe tree damage as a result of the storm, which has limited crew accessibility and has hampered the damage assessment and restoration process.

As debris from the storm is being cleared, customers are cautioned never to touch downed lines. Customers should always assume downed wires are carrying electricity and are reminded to keep their children and pets away from downed wires.

To report an outage, JCP&L and Met-Ed customers should call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877). Potomac Edison customers should call 1-800-255-3443.

For updated information on restoration news, current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe after a storm, go to www.firstenergycorp.com.

SOURCE FirstEnergy